The light weight swivel-fluke-type anchor, most noted and successful of which was developed and patented by the Danforth Company, is accepted among modern day seamen as the most reliable general purpose anchor presently known to the art. While only occasionally difficult to set due in part to the light weight for which it is named, its holding power and dependability for most purposes far exceeds that of other designs.
Unfortunately for the boating, yachting and shipping industries, the so-called "light weight" is not the most convenient of anchors to handle and stow. It has been replaced to a large extent, particularly on sail boats, by the plow (plough or "CQR") because the plow is more easily stowed on a pulpit or bow sprit and has fewer offensive projections such as the stock of the light weight which might snag sails and the like. Even on power boats when the light weight is stowed, projecting over the bow as taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,899,925; 3,865,065 or 3,635,187 there are stowage problems including forward and lateral projections which can and do complicate mooring, maneuvering, etc. When the light weight is stowed on deck, as has been traditional, it presents serious handling problems. A 35-45 pound anchor is difficult to lift at arms length over the boat' gunwhale and under its life lines. The anchor also is a troublesome cause of mud or dirt on the deck and it monopolizes precious space. [Handling devices such as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,974,793 may solve handling problems but not the dirt and space problems.]
If it were practical to provide a handling and stowage device which shielded nuisance projections, which did not monopolize essential space, which did not introduce mud or dirt onto the deck of vessels, and which was easy and safe to handle, such a device would constitute a significant advance in the art and achieve three objects of this invention.
A fourth and most important object of this invention is to provide a stowage and handling device for a readily usable anchor which can be placed on the stern side or transom of a vessel. Such stowage has many uses including emergency use to prevent stranding, dropping and setting a first anchor of a "Bahama moor" (otherwise known as the Ogg system) in windy or crowded anchorages, mooring the vessel with the bow to a beach, and fore and aft anchoring.